Lao, Thai, Cambodian New Year draws crowd of hundreds in Redding

Over the weekend, Shasta County’s Lao, Thai and Cambodian communities welcomed the new year — known as LTC New Year for short — with much fanfare. On Sunday, at least 300 people gathered at a small Buddhist temple in Redding to perform an annual religious ritual, followed by a procession, playful water splashing and other customs associated with the New Year celebration in that part of the world.

The terms for New Year in the Thai, Lao and Khmer languages respectively are Songkran, Pi Mai Lao and Chaul Chnam Thmey. Following the lunisolar Buddhist calendar, communities connected to Laos, Thailand and Cambodia mark the beginning of the year in April. Theravada Buddhism is the predominant religion in those countries, and Redding’s LTC New Year celebration incorporated the ritual of giving alms. 

Worshipers gathered in the temple, and one by one offered flowers, fruit and other food items, pressing the offerings to their foreheads before placing them in baskets. Red, blue and golden fabric were draped along the sides of the space. Little international Buddhist flags were strung from the ceiling, as well as flags depicting dharmachakra, or dharma wheels, an emblematic Buddhist symbol. The temple’s monk was shrouded in bright orange and crimson robes, and at the far end of the hall was an idol of a resplendent golden Buddha, seated in a lotus position.

Set throughout the temple and in front of the golden idol were money trees — decorative offerings of potted bouquets of varying heights, affixed with dollar bills. After alms were given, the money trees were paraded around the grounds by a group of women and children led by the temple’s monk, one rhythmically beating a gong as she facilitated a call and response. The offerings, as well as a portion of the food vendors’ profits, will go toward the temple.  

On the grounds of the temple was a sand stupa, a miniature dome made of sand modeled after stupas, the Buddhist architectural term for the structures on holy sites that house sacred relics. In Laos, worshippers gather by the banks of the Mekong River to build sand stupas of varying sizes and intricacies for good luck in the coming year. Jutting from the stupa in Redding were flowers, dollar bills and images of zodiac animals.

One of the most cherished parts of LTC New Year is the water fight, a shared tradition in Laos, Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia. The purpose of the water fight, one of the event’s organizers Lamyai Sengxay told Shasta Scout in the week leading up to LTC New Year, is to wash away the old luck of the previous year. 
  
The celebration in Redding was just one of many planned across California, with gatherings in cities that are home to large Southeast Asian communities such as Stockton and San Diego, as well as an upcoming Thai parade in Hollywood.

See more LTC New Year photos below.

This story is part of “Aquí Estamos/Here We Stand,” a collaborative reporting project of American Community Media and community news outlets statewide.

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